Amniotic Band Sequence in an Intrauterine Fetal Demise at 17 weeks of Pregnancy: A case report

Amniotic band sequence is a rare disorder characterised by various congenital abnormalities due to constrictions of certain parts of the fetal body by fibrous bands derived from the amniotic sac. A 29-year-old pregnant woman with a missed abortion at 17 weeks of gestation is reported. A routine prenatal 2D-ultrasound scanning done three weeks ago revealed a living fetus without any obvious structural abnormality. A medical abortion was induced. A macerated fetus was delivered whose legs were tightly wrapped by massive amniotic bands, in which part of the umbilical cord was also entangled. After their removal, the legs and feet were deformed with marked strangulation grooves. The left calf was edematous and thickened above that narrowing with histological feature of chronic myositis. This unique case demonstrates an aborted fetus with striking amniotic bands detected by fetal autopsy. Considering that even such a serious pathology may not be identified prenatally by ultrasound, this condition should be kept in mind while evaluating the cases of sudden intrauterine fetal death. It is important to thoroughly investigate all aborted fetuses for potential features of amniotic band sequence, even in early miscarriagies.